Various downhole drilling and completion processes employ fiber optic cables to provide transmission of optical signals between a surface location and a downhole location. Most fiber optic cables used downhole include an optical fiber encased within a tube. Shear forces between the tube and the optical fiber and other stresses can affect the efficiency of light transmission through the optical fiber. Therefore, a viscous gel is generally applied between the optical fiber and the tube in order to protect the fiber from environmental concerns, to prevent damage from microbending conditions and to help reduce the forces applied during spooling and deployment. The viscous gel thereby reduces non-target stresses on the optical fiber. Unfortunately, these gels can oxidize at temperatures experienced in dowhole environments. Furthermore, the downhole temperatures can exceed the gel flashpoint, thereby limiting the usefulness of fiber optic cables downhole. The present disclosure provides a method and apparatus for providing optical transmission over a gel filled fiber optic cable with reduced strain at downhole temperatures.